The Royal Foalsitter
“Is she safe to hold now?” Trixie asked as she exited the bathroom in the guest suite. “Because I don’t want to have to take another shower today.”
Spike and Starlight stood looking into a crib near the bed, where Twilight now sat safely diapered and softly crying. They looked over to Trixie.
“Trix, can you come over here a sec? We need to test something,” Starlight said.
Trixie shrugged and approached as Starlight levitated Twilight from the crib and floated her into Spike’s arms. She began to whimper and fuss. He shook his head, then held her out to Starlight. She took the baby into her own grasp, and got similar results. She then turned to Trixie.
“Here, hold her.” Trixie hesitated. “She’s fine! Come on, please?”
Trixie sat on her haunches and held out her forelegs as Starlight gently passed the infant to her. Twilight immediately calmed down and began to coo happily.
“Well, that’s that, then,” Starlight muttered.
Trixie’s eyes narrowed, immediately suspicious. “What’s what?”
“Twilight doesn’t seem to like either of us,” Starlight replied. “Probably because Spike ran screaming through the halls with her and I’m just super awkward with babies. So…”
“I don’t like where this is going,” Trixie whispered to Twilight. Twilight babbled back to her. “I’m glad you agree,” Trixie replied. “So,” she said, turning her attention back to Starlight, “how do we fix this?”
“Well,” began Starlight, “Spike is going to fly over to Zecora’s to learn if there’s anything we can do about this. Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll just be stuck like this for an hour or two.” She turned to Spike. “Okay?”
“Already on it!” Spike replied with a snappy salute, spreading his wings and flying out a nearby window. “I’ll get back as soon as I can!” he called behind him. With a few flaps of his wings, he sped away toward Zecora’s hut in the Everfree Forest.
Starlight turned back to Trixie and her tiny charge. “Meanwhile, I’m going down to the library and try to teach myself everything I can about potion-making and antidotes.”
“Can’t you just, I dunno, cast an age spell on her and grow her up again?” Twilight let out a squeal and squirmed in Trixie’s grasp. “See? Even Twilight thinks that’s the way to go.”
“Well, far be it from me to disagree with random baby squealing,” Starlight replied, “but it’s not that simple. This was caused by a really powerful potion interaction with alicorn magic. I’m not even going to attempt a counterspell until I get some idea of what we’re dealing with. Which brings us to your job in all this…” Starlight glanced away, clearly uncomfortable.
“Again, Trixie does not like where this is headed,” she whispered to Twilight. The baby blew a raspberry. “My feelings exactly.”
“While I’m diving into the books and Spike is out getting answers from Zecora, I’ll need you to keep Twilight there happy and hopefully not destroying the town.” Starlight took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and looked her best friend in the eye. “And so I am officially naming you the acting royal foalsitter.”
“I knew it!” Trixie muttered. “And why should I do this?”
“Because an alicorn baby is a baby armed with enough magic to blow this whole town off the map,” Starlight replied. “I saw her niece Flurry Heart knock holes in the walls of her mother’s castle in the Crystal Empire every time she sneezed, and she nearly destroyed a powerful magical relic by screaming at it too loud.” Starlight leaned close to Trixie, her eyes narrowed threateningly. “And since it seems that you are the only one here that can keep her calm, you get to watch her and save us all from being being accidentally incinerated or turned into houseplants or something. Got it?”
Trixie’s eyes widened as she looked down at the baby she was holding. Twilight laughed and blew a spit bubble. She looked back up at Starlight. “She’s really that dangerous?” she asked in a small voice.
“Not as long as you keep her happy,” Starlight replied. She then smiled nervously. “You’ll get paid, naturally.”
“You better believe I’ll get paid!” Trixie hissed back. “Hopefully I’ll even live to spend it.” She sighed. “Okay, I’ve got it. Keep the golden child happy and non-murderous.” She saluted her friend. “Get going and do your magical genius thing already.”
Starlight relaxed and then gave her friend a quick hug. “Sorry if I came off a little strong there, but this really is serious.” She looked down at her shrunken mentor and gently stroked her cheek with the side of her hoof. “Don’t worry, Twilight, we’ll get you back to normal." The baby looked up at her and smiled.
“See? I’m not the only one she likes,” Trixie said.
“Maybe, but you’re clearly better at this than me.” Starlight laughed. “Maybe you’ve found a new calling.”
“Very funny,” Trixie replied, her tone indicating she found it anything but. “Now start studying, okay?! Scoot!”
“Scooting!” Starlight dashed out of the room, leaving Trixie alone with her charge.
Trixie looked around the guest suite. It really was very richly appointed, with a luxurious canopy bed and comfortable chairs set upon thick rugs. Trixie selected a rocking chair next to the crib, then sat down, cradling little Twilight in her forelegs. Twilight gazed up at her and gurgled.
Trixie sighed. “Why do you manage to complicate my life all the time?” she asked the baby. Twilight babbled a response. “Oh, don’t try to deny it!” Trixie retorted. “Ever since the very first day we met, you’ve made my life harder!”
The baby went silent a moment, then sneezed.
“It’s nothing to sneeze at!” Trixie exclaimed. She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Honestly, the day we met, my life changed completely.” Twilight cooed questioningly at her. “It really did,” Trixie replied.
“I was just a traveling magician,” she continued. “I’d hardly been on the road more than a few moons, and the act was only just starting to come together.” Twilight blew a raspberry. “It wasn’t that bad, and you know it!” Trixie shot back. She sighed. “Okay, maybe I went a little overboard with the insult comedy, but you can’t let hecklers run away with your show! And that’s what your friends were! They were heckling me!”
The baby gazed up at her, expectantly.
“Oh, you want me to talk about my stories about fighting the Ursa Major? Okay, fine! Yes, I made that up! It was an act! I’m a performer! I create illusions! I sell a lie because it’s thrilling for the audience! I never expected Tweedledum and Tweedledumber to go that far!”
That whole night had been a nightmare, Trixie thought. Those two local kids had been so swept away with her boasts that they’d gone into the Everfree Forest to lure one of the monstrous bear creatures back to town for her to fight. After spending an afternoon on stage bragging about her power and skills, she’d been exposed as a sham and utterly humiliated, unable to stop what had turned out to be a baby ursa.
Twilight kicked her forelegs and babbled at her.
“Oh, yes, it all turned out well for you!” Trixie exclaimed. “You got the good education as Princess Celestia’s little pet student and was able to cast, like, eight spells at once! You could handle that thing just fine!” Trixie sighed. “And you know what the worst part was? The very worst?”
The baby was silent, seemingly waiting for her to go on.
“The very worst part of all,” Trixie continued, “was that I saw you there, able to do all that, and it made me realize what a fraud I really was.” She sighed. “That was worse than having my wagon get smashed. I realized that you were the real thing. You were what I wished I could be.”
The baby gazed up at her, waving its forelegs. Trixie gently teased at them, eliciting a laugh.
“The truth is,” Trixie said quietly, “that I lied a bit when I told you that time that I couldn’t perform because you’d humiliated me.” She chuckled softly. “You remember that? Our magic duel? I said I had to work on a rock farm? Well, the truth was that no one really cared about what happened in Ponyville that night. Only me.”
She sat Twilight up and looked into her eyes.
“I couldn’t perform because I knew that you were out there, being real when I could only pretend to be you. That’s why I spent a year searching for that amulet. I needed you to see that I could be real, too.” She bounced the baby in her lap, then laid her back down. Trixie gently tickled her tummy, earning a wriggle and a smile.
“In retrospect, maybe using a cursed relic that made me act totally crazy and evil wasn’t the best plan ever hatched, but it was the best I could come up with at the time. After that whole mess, I was just glad that you let me off with an apology, and I honestly thought I’d never see you again.”
Trixie stuck out her tongue, and Twilight followed suit.
“Oh! You’re stealing my act now?! That is simply not done, even by princesses!” Trixie rocked her tiny charge, who settled back to quiet cooing. “And you know what you did then? Do you? Hm?” Trixie widened her eyes, overacting for the baby she held. The baby looked at her questioningly. “You sent your little student Starlight out to make a friend, and she chose me! What do you think of that?”
Twilight squirmed in her embrace, smiling and babbling.
“Yeah, you gave me the first real friend I ever had! And that was nothing but more trouble for me!” Trixie’s expression softened. “All the time I spent traveling around, I never wanted to make a friend, because I hated the thought of having to say goodbye when I left.” She looked down at Twilight with a smug smile. “And Starlight chose me to be hers, even when you didn’t approve! You may be her beloved teacher and all that, but I’m her best friend! And you just have to live with that!” She nodded emphatically.
Twilight blew a raspberry. “Oh, well, pfft to you, too!” Trixie exclaimed. “Thanks to having her as a friend, I had to go off and save your little royal tushie and everyone else’s when the changelings captured you!” She snickered, then rocked the baby some more. “See what I mean? You complicate my life! Thanks to you, I had to become a hero and help save the whole kingdom!”
The baby fell silent a moment, then again reached out to touch Trixie’s face. Trixie leaned forward to let her reach, and for a moment she felt the baby touch the end of her nose with its tiny hoof.
“And thanks to you, I’m learning real magic and possibly saving the town from a crazy infant alicorn.” She smiled and then pantomimed nipping at Twilight’s hooves. The baby chortled and squirmed, finding it all the height of hilarity. “So, you see how you’ve messed up my life? If it wasn’t for you, I could be alone and forgotten and never have seen that I really could be a hero.” Trixie paused. “So, thank you. Even for this.” She sat Twilight up in her lap again and looked her in the eye. “Except for peeing on me. I am never going to thank you for that!”
The baby laughed and wriggled in her grasp, then its expression soured.
“What’s with you?” Trixie asked. “Am I not sufficiently amusing now? Are you uncomfortable?” She held Twilight up and sniffed her diaper cautiously. “No, that seems okay. What’s wrong?”
Suddenly, Trixie heard a rumble from her tiny belly. Twilight frowned and began to fuss.
“Ah, you’re hungry, huh?” Trixie chuckled. “I guess you work up an appetite, screaming your head off and peeing on your houseguests. Okay, let’s see…” She looked around and then spotted an infant carrier in the corner. “Perfect!” she said, as she levitated Twilight into the carrier and buckled her in. Her horn flared as she floated the carrier next to her. “Why don’t we go down to the kitchen and see if we can find you something to eat?”
“All right,” Trixie said as she settled the carrier down on the kitchen floor. “Now, you are a girl who is so organized and so prepared that she keeps a whole nursery ready for her niece, so I’m betting…” Trixie telekinetically opened and shut several cupboards until she found one set aside from the others. “Bingo!”
Inside were jars of baby food and formula mix, along with a few clean baby bottles and rubber nipples. Trixie levitated a few jars of food over to her, then looked back at Twilight.
“You look awfully tiny,” she said. “I wonder if you can even eat solid food right now.” She studied the food jars, then returned them to the cupboard and took a bottle and formula mix, instead. “No point in risking it,” Trixie mused. She studied the instructions on the formula package, then measured some out into the bottle and added water from the tap in the sink. Attaching the nipple, she shook it up to mix it, then stopped.
“I have to warm this up, don’t I?” she asked Twilight. The baby only frowned and reached out toward her, fussing and wriggling. Trixie nodded to herself. “Yeah, I need to warm it. So, how do I use the stove…?”
She stopped, then smiled. “Who needs a stove?” she said, as she placed the bottle on the counter. She turned to Twilight, rearing up on her hind legs and spreading her forelegs out wide. “Prepare to be amazed, as the Great and Powerful Trixie harnesses the elemental power of fire and flame to heat this source of sustenance!” Twilight’s expression lightened, and she laughed at the showmare’s antics.
Dropping back onto all fours, Trixie turned to the bottle. “Okay, like Starlight said. Relax, concentrate, don’t burn the castle down.” She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then gathered her magic to cast the spell.
She could feel the mana concentrate in her horn, then seemingly reach out toward the bottle. In her mind, she imagined it as if she were holding her hooves on either side of it, feeling its heat. At the moment, it didn’t feel warm at all. Well, of course it wouldn’t, she thought. It’s cold now. She concentrated, imagining heat flowing from her hooves into the bottle. Almost immediately, she felt it warm.
Her heart raced as she realized she was doing it. She was casting the spell properly, and controlling it. With luck, she wouldn’t get too excited and melt the glass bottle into slag. Just a little more, she thought. It just has to be warm, not boiling. When it felt just about right, she let the spell dissipate, then levitated the bottle toward her.
How do I test this, she wondered, before shrugging and holding it up over her mouth, letting a few drops drip onto her tongue. “It’s a little hot,” she called over to Twilight. “Better let it cool off a bit before I feed you. Let’s go back to the bedroom.” She placed the bottle into a pocket on the carrier and then levitated it, walking back out into the hallway. She peeked into the library as she passed by, seeing Starlight apparently trying to read three books at once.
“Any luck?” she called through the doorway. Starlight only waved a hoof vaguely in her direction, motioning her to get out. Trixie shrugged and continued up the stairs. “I don’t think she’s having much luck,” she whispered to Twilight, who frowned and whimpered. “Don’t worry, you’ll get fed in a minute,” Trixie replied.
They returned to the bedroom, and Trixie retook her seat in the rocking chair, with Twilight cradled in her lap. She floated the baby bottle from the carrier, then teased the nipple into the baby’s mouth. Twilight hesitated a moment before her infantile instincts kicked in and she began suckling noisily.
“Wow, listen to you!” Trixie joked. “Such poor table manners!” She made her own suckling noises along with Twilight. The baby smiled around the nipple at the funny sounds as she continued to feed.
Trixie rocked quietly, watching the bottle slowly empty. “I wish Starlight had been there to see me do that spell,” she said. “But I guess you appreciate it even more, huh?” Twilight looked up at her as she fed, then suddenly released the nipple and began to fuss, a grimace on her face.
“What now?” Trixie asked. The baby grew more upset, and then Trixie heard a gurgle from her stomach. She suddenly realized the problem. “You need to be burped, don’t you?” she asked, as she shifted Twilight over her shoulder. She was about to start patting her back, then stopped. “Wait, I’m missing something,” she said. “Every time I saw a mother burp their baby, they had…”
She looked around, then spotted a small cloth folded on the changing table. “That should do,” she said, laying the cloth over her shoulder and holding Twilight with her head laying against it. She patted the baby’s back a few times, then heard a burp, followed by a cough and the sound of something wet being spat up. Trixie settled Twilight back onto her lap, then levitated the cloth off her shoulder. As she expected, there was a small blob of milky spittle on it. She wiped Twilight’s mouth with a clean corner.
“So, first you pee on me and now you puke on me too, huh?” she said, folding the cloth up and depositing it in a covered pail by the changing table. “You really know how to make your guests feel welcome!” She sat Twilight up and addressed her face to face. “You are confirming my general impression that babies are pretty gross little creatures. What do you say to that?”
Twilight looked at her, then furrowed her brow and grimaced. “What?” Trixie asked. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to think of an answer!” Twilight remained silent, a look of intense concentration on her face, then she grunted and relaxed.
The smell hit her nostrils a few seconds later, and it was all Trixie could do to keep herself from running from the room. “Oh, my Celestia!” she exclaimed. “Was that in you already when you turned into a baby, or did you just magically convert the formula into pure evil?!” Twilight simply waved her legs and chortled at her. “Yeah, I’m sure this is the funniest thing ever to you, Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie grumbled.
Sighing, Trixie carried her to the changing table and began to clean her up. “So gross,” she said, breathing through her mouth. “Babies are gross, diapers are gross, and you are royally gross!” she muttered.
The change was carried out as quickly as she could, and Trixie settled back down on the chair with Twilight. As she wondered how much longer Starlight and Spike would take to find the cure, she saw Twilight yawn and snuggle closer to her.
“You ready to sleep, Golden Girl?” Trixie asked. “You sure you don’t have any other bodily fluids you’d like to release onto me?” The baby yawned again, then smiled up at her. Trixie regarded her for a moment, then leaned down closer.
“Wanna see something?” she asked. “It’ll help you go to sleep.” Twilight looked up at her and babbled back. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Trixie replied as her horn began to glow.
The image of stars appeared in the air above Twilight, who cooed and reached out for them. “Aren’t they pretty?” Trixie asked, gently rocking her. “I really like this illusion,” she continued. “I use it for when I tell stories. Now watch.”
An image of the moon appeared among the stars. Twilight’s eyes widened, and she smiled at the sight. “That’s the moon,” Trixie said. “And look who’s flying by, too!” The image of a dark coated alicorn appeared as well, flying among the stars and the moon. “There’s Princess Luna! You know her, right? She's here to fly you off to dreamland.” The baby lay transfixed by the sight, a smile on her face as her eyelids began to droop. "Well, look at that," Trixie murmured. "I finally impressed you with my magic."
Trixie continued to rock her gently. At last, Twilight fell asleep, and Trixie carefully levitated her into the crib and covered her with a blanket. She looked down at the sleeping baby princess, then leaned close.
“I’ll have you know,” she whispered, “that I’m never, ever going to let you forget about this.” She smiled at the thought. “I will never let you forget how you peed on me and puked on me and how I had to feed you from a bottle and change your nasty diaper.” She studied the sleeping baby, then leaned close again.
“But I won’t tell anyone else. I promise,” she whispered. “It’ll just be our little joke. No need to humiliate you in public. Because…” She paused. “Because I didn’t mind doing this, really. You’re actually a pretty nice little baby.” She softly kissed Twilight’s head. “Even if you are super gross sometimes.”
She stood up from the crib and turned around, a warm feeling inside that immediately dissipated when she saw Starlight standing silently behind her, a crooked smile on her face. Starlight opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Trixie putting a hoof to her lips and pointing at Twilight. “Don’t wake the baby!” she hissed, then retreated from the bedroom, her cheeks bright red.
Starlight followed her silently down the hall and down the stairs to the library. Trixie turned around and glared as her friend approached and stood there, not saying a word. Finally, Trixie could stand it no longer. “What?!” she exclaimed. “Just say whatever you’re going to say!”
Starlight simply leaned forward and kissed Trixie on the cheek, causing her to blush even more furiously.
“Wh-why did you do that?” Trixie stammered.
“Because,” Starlight replied softly, “sometimes you drop that act you’re always running and show me what a sweet, wonderful girl you really are.”
Trixie regarded her friend silently. “Just don’t let it get around,” she finally said. “I have a reputation as an arrogant idiot to maintain.”
Starlight leaned close. “Your secret’s safe with me,” she whispered, then laughed.
Trixie smiled. “As long as we’re clear on that,” she said. “Anyway, did you learn anything?”
Starlight rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I learned that potion-making is incredibly complicated and not something you learn in an afternoon. I think Spike’s our only hope now.”
“Did someone mention my name?” asked Spike as he flew in through an open window. The two unicorns rushed over to him.
“Spike! Did you learn anything?!” Starlight asked.
“Yeah,” Spike replied. “I learned that rhyming thing Zecora does is really annoying when you’re in a rush.”
“It’s like everyone here is using the same comedy routine,” Trixie muttered.
Starlight grabbed Spike by the shoulders. “Did you find out anything about fixing Twilight?!” she asked.
Spike shrugged off her hooves. “I have good news, bad news, and weird news,” he said. “Which do you want first?”
“The good news,” Starlight replied. “I’m desperate for some good news right about now.”
“Well,” Spike continued. “The good news is that Twilight’s going to be fine. Zecora said she’ll turn back to normal, none the worse for wear.”
Starlight and Trixie both let out audible sighs of relief. “Fantastic!” Starlight said. “And what’s the bad news?”
“The bad news is that it’ll take about four weeks,” Spike replied.
Starlight blinked both her eyes. “Four weeks?!” she exclaimed. She took a deep breath. “Okay, it’s not a disaster. We can handle running Twilight’s school for a few weeks while she’s a baby, I guess.” She looked pleadingly to Trixie. “Assuming the royal foalsitter is up for it. Please?”
Trixie smiled and tossed her mane. “The Great and Powerful Trixie stands ready to face any sort of baby-related grossness in this time of crisis.” Her eyes narrowed. “And she will, of course, be compensated handsomely for it.”
“Of course,” sighed Starlight, turning back to Spike. “So, we just have to take care of a baby alicorn for a few weeks, then?”
“Not exactly,” Spike replied. “There was the weird news too, remember?”
Starlight gulped. “Dare I ask what that is?”
“Well, Twilight isn’t going to stay a baby and just pop back to being an adult,” he explained. “Zecora says she’s going to kind of grow up. Really fast.”
“You mean, we’re going to have to raise Twilight back to adulthood? Over the next four weeks?” Starlight asked, her mouth going dry.
“Pretty much.”
Starlight looked over to Trixie, who looked over to Spike. All three looked up toward the bedroom where baby Twilight lay sleeping.
“Maybe we can contact her parents and just have them take her for a few weeks,” Starlight mused.
“Must we?” Trixie asked, turning back toward the others. The other two stared at her, then Starlight smiled.
“You want to take care of Twilight, don’t you?” she teased.
“Well, Trixie replied. “I’d hate to miss out on a nice foalsitting fee. Besides…” She looked back toward the bedroom. “She’s a good audience. And I have more to show her.”
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You did really great job with this one. It may have been a quick one-shot but it was so well done!
You gave a a sweet exposition and made everything flow smoothly and cutely!
You should add on to this with the rapidly aging Twilight, but that's of course up to your leisure and it won't bother me if you're not up to it!
9525273
Thanks. I wanted to leave the story open in case I ever wanted to add onto it (Because really, the idea of Twilight having to grow up again with Trixie now kind of taking the place of Cadance is ripe with all sorts of possibilities), but I mainly did this to workshop some ideas I had for Twilight and Trixie in my other story. The notion occurred to me that Trixie's reticence to open up to Twilight could be explored if she could somehow talk to Twilight without any fear of Twilight understanding or remembering it.
If I ever continued this, Twilight at the end would see Trixie completely differently, since she'd have a whole bunch of new memories of Trixie being a part of her life from infancy up to adulthood. Also, I have a feeling that around age 12 or so, she'd want to go to her own school for a week and be friends with the Young 6. In my mind, she'd be aging about 10 months a day, So, there'd be like a week where she'd go from age 12 to about age 15 and she could experience being one of them.
There might be a school dance. It'd be very cute because Twilight's mom would show up early and want to encourage her daughter to try a bunch of things she missed the first time around.
*Sees Twilight, Starlight and Trixie story*
*Sees no romance tag*
9525315
Strictly friendshipping.
Cute this is so cute .............. That is all I have to say
Oh, Trixie. You really can be such a wonderful person when you want to.
9525588
At least in my version of her. Glad you enjoyed it.
A nice take on Trixie. I would be interesting to see how the next four weeks go and/or how Twilight will act if she remembers everything that happened and what was said to her, All her friends running away and leaving her as a helpless foal? What Trixie said to Twilight and thanking her etc
9525717
Like I said earlier, I have a feeling that Twilight at the end of the four weeks would see Trixie a lot differently than she does now. But I doubt she'd remember anything that was said here, or how her friends all noped out when the change happened. Knowing Twilight, she'd forgive them.
I’d love the “sequel” idea you’ve set up. But it’s all up to you, just know that there are people who would like to see it.
If you decide not to do it, it’s completely fair and I would respect your decision. Have a nice day :)
9526140
Thanks. The thing about continuing the story would be that I'd have to think up some reasonable emotional conflicts to hang the plot around. This little story works because it sets up the conflict quickly (Trixie has a need to win Twilight's approval), explores the reason for that conflict (Twilight is what Trixie aspires to be, but can never really achieve), and then resolves it (Trixie is finally able to safely confess her feelings and manages to impress Twilight with her magic). Falling action, curtain falls, end. Simple, efficient, very cute.
For Twilight growing up again, I'd want to avoid having 28 chapters of "And now Twilight is XX years old, and here's some cute things that happen to her." I have a feeling that the key would be involving Twilight Velvet and having her encourage her daughter to try a few things differently this time around that she missed out on when she was growing up the first time. So, maybe have her go to a middle school dance and kiss a boy, only it'd have a twist. Something like that.
It'd probably inevitably approach the point where Trixie will fear what will happen when Twilight gets her full memories back and remembers how she met Trixie the first time around. That would make for some good drama.
9526214
Yeah I see your point. Thanks for replying so quickly!
I had to bite my lip to keep myself from squee-ing out loud
. A very sweet story, I always enjoy how authors such as yourself can take characters that are unpleasant to down-right evil in canon and turn them into relatable and admirable characters (and vise versa for heroes turned villain). I want to see Obab Scribbler turn this into one of her audio-reads, I loved all the little burbles and coos that you had, it made for a very sweet head-movie if you will. Anyways, I am with everyone else in the comments thus far, we would love to see you come up with more chapters and or a sequel that covers the four-week regrowth. It's your decision though, and I will respect it. One other thing that I just now thought of, I cannot remember which story it was, but I remember a direct quote or internal thought regarding a similar situation and the character in question shivering at the thought of having to go through puberty again.
Loved your short story here, adding it to my bookshelves.
Best wishes, BirdsBooksBrownies
9526214
There's also the question of how much of her memory has been retained with her regression/progression (magically created as it is), and how previous memories might be overlapped, overwritten, or combined with new information gained during her four weeks of accelerated maturing. Equally interesting to contemplate is how Twilight Sparkle might end up different than she was prior due to having new formative experiences affecting her overall psychosocial development (unless they end up not counting for some reason).
This was a fun story, by the way. Your characterization has a very naturalistic feel to it, particularly when it comes to Trixie and her interactions with infant Twilight. Spike and Starlight feel true to character as well in terms of their reactions and responses to the situation. I truly do hope that you find a way to continue from the sequel hook you put in, as I'd be interested to see not only how the Twilight-Trixie relationship is affected by her four weeks of growing up, but also Twilight's relationships with the Mane Six (who abandoned her with Spike), Spike (her surrogate brother/son), Starlight, the CMC, her students, and others she encounters at different ages. Will Twilight look at them all the same as she moves from being younger, to the same age, and potentially older, or will her view(s) and memory change along with her own shifting perspective, and how will she reconcile that potential cognitive dissonance? These are fascinating questions to consider based on the premise you've set up here.
Once again, I highly enjoyed this little "quickie" you put together, and hope it's helped to get your creative juices flowing again. While I do hope for a sequel based on the possibilities established, I enjoyed this short story just fine as a means of seeing that's there's more to Trixie than there often appears to be. Keep up the good work!
Wow, this was great. I kinda want to see a continuation of this.
9527004
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. The great thing about infants is that they can act as both props and characters in a story. Assuming you don't go with the over-used trope of writing babies as little adults with a speech impediment, they can allow an existing character to break out of their usual routine. Baby Twilight here acts mainly as a mirror for Trixie to work out her issues, since she's now helpless and utterly dependent on Trixie for everything. For someone as insecure as Trixie, seeing her rival reduced to this state is liberating.
Of course, she immediately goes for teasing and insults, but my head canon for her is that Trixie is probably a very nice girl who hides her massive insecurity behind a lot of bluster. And so, left alone where no one can see her, she can drop her act and show her softer side. I explore a bit of this in my other story, although I give Trixie a much sadder backstory there.
As for any continuation or sequels, I'll think about it. Readers here seem to really like this setup. As far as going through puberty again, I think the main problem with puberty is that it takes a while and leaves you feeling awkward and angry. In Twilight's case, she'd go through it in about four or five days, and she'd probably have her awkward stage happen overnight while she slept.
9527992
) teasing aside, I'll be happy if you decide to continue this, and if not, well we still have a very sweet silly story of Equestria's most unlikely babysitter.
While I don't know about Trixie being a "very" nice girl, I do agree that her bravado probably hides a sensitive character. As for the overnight aging straight through puberty where's the fun in that? (
9527005
My head canon for this story scenario is that Twilight has been reduced to a six month old (Seeing how she has only a single tooth, and babies get their first teeth at 4-7 months), and that she's probably about 24 years old at this point. So, if she grows at a constant rate over 4 weeks, that's about 10 months a day. Every day, she'll regain whatever memories she had up to that age, So, Trixie and the others have a few days before she'll be old enough to really start asking obvious questions, like why she isn't home and where her family is. That's why I'd have to bring Twilight Velvet into the story, since you'd want to have at least her mother there to reassure her.
As far as her new memories overlapping with the old, I think her old memories would be more profound and emotionally affecting, but the new ones would also be clear and give her different perspective. The experience of this second childhood would be clear in her mind, and by the time she reaches about age six, she'd understand what's happening and look forward to being a little older each day and remembering the things she's already learned.
And the thing is, once it's made clear that she doesn't have to spend all her time studying, since she's already put in all that work and all that knowledge and experience is coming back to her on its own, it's going to be incredibly liberating. Because Twilight pretty much sacrificed her childhood in order to become Celestia's prize student. I think Celestia and Twilight Velvet will both realize that this whole crazy situation is a happy accident that can let Twilight have a second chance at her childhood. In fact, when Twilight reaches the age where she began her studies (and naturally starts freaking out about disappointing Celestia), I'd have Celestia show up to set her straight and pretty much order her to just enjoy being a little kid for a while.
So, there's a lot that could be done with this. And as Twilight grows up again, there'd always be this sword hanging over the situation for Trixie, who will worry that she'll lose this love that Twilight now has for her when Twi's memories fully return and she once again remembers things like their first meeting and the magic duel.
I'll tell you what: let me get the first part of Rebuilding finished (It should just take a few more chapters),and then maybe I can consider working on additional chapters.
9528018
I think my version of Trixie is very snarky and mischievous. She's a bit cowardly, but that's mainly due to her insecurities. We saw in To Where and Back Again that she'll go into danger and even sacrifice herself for the greater good, and that's heroism that you don't often see.
I have a feeling that Twilight was one of those girls who never really had an awkward phase through puberty. She was always just very cute and even tempered, and dealt with everything through aggressive studying.
That said, I have an idea of what would happen if she decides to experience Friendship School with the Young 6 for a week. She'd end up having her first kiss come from an unlikely character.
9528067
I rewatched a couple of Trixie-centric episodes, including her debut Boast Busters. I think your vision of Trixie might actually be pretty close, and how it seemed that had it not been for the down-right rude and somewhat self-righteous behavior of AJ, Rarity, and RD (but mostly the first two). Twilight might have enjoyed Trixie's show for what it was, and perhaps they could have become friends or at least friendly rivals, I feel that Trixie might not have even brought up the whole Ursa thing had the girls kept a lid on it. I mean I know she was a bit obnoxious (particularly later on in the episode) but from my pov, they were the ones who started it, what did they expect anyway? "Hello, my name is Trixie Lulamoon, and I want to perform a few boring totally not noteworthy magic tricks if you don't mind?" and if anyone is to blame for the Ursa incident, that would have to be snips, snails, and Spike to a degree now that I think about it, he's the one who all but said to them "prove her story is true".
9528363
Exactly. One of the things I plan to bring up in my other story is how Twilight used to be very judgmental about others and not even think about her rivals once she'd beaten them. The whole incident with Moondancer suddenly brought home to her that she used to be incredibly uncaring about how she unthinkingly hurt others.
With Trixie, it was entirely misplaced anger. Twilight was only trying to fix a problem no one else could, and accidentally showed up Trixie's lies. The thing is, Trixie ran off, humiliated and distraught, while Twilight just sort of wrote her of as "Well, serves her right for lying," not even considering that all her possessions were now smashed and she was alone and homeless in the middle of the night. That first season Twilight was still very socially inept and lacking empathy. Season 8 Twilight probably would have run after her to see if she was okay and offer her a place to sleep for the night.
I honestly feel that Twilight and Trixie just had really terrible luck with their first two encounters, and would have been friends otherwise. In a perfect world, Trixie would have been her first student, and not Starlight.
9528460
I'll get to reading your other story sometime today most likely, As for Twilight, I think you are right, but in the episode Boast Busters, I don't think she considered Trixie to be a rival at all until the others were practically "oh lookie there Twilight, there's a unicorn loudly purporting to be good at magic, how dare she, what are you going to do about it." which made Twilight distinctly uncomfortable, she tried multiple times to hush Spike up (okay so maybe I can understand from the angle of a little kid protecting their sibling) And I'll even partially forgive RD because that's part of who she is, but AJ and Rarity have no such excuses that I can see, they came up to a magic show and all but stepped in front of the crowd and said "Boo, this is a fake, Boo". Sure, as you mentioned, Twilight most likely didn't give her a second thought after passing along the message to Princess Celestia, but most of her anger at the end was directed to the bumbling foolishness of Snips and Snails. As I said before, I think that if AJ and Rarity had kept a cork in it, Twilight would have enjoyed the show for what it was worth, maybe apologizing on behalf of Spike's behavior at the end, but otherwise, no harm no foul. Maybe she might have even asked her some questions about her show and started a potentially friendly rapport with her. Sure boasting is not good, but if I ever have kids I think I would want to point out the difference between Trixie's initial boasting (come one! come all! poof! bang! whizz!) and the boasting later on (anything you can do I can do better) Also, off the top of my head, I'm fairly certain we've seen examples where the Mane 6 act somewhat like Trixie about how special their talents are and stuff, maybe not quite as loudly or in such a showy fashion, but being boastful nevertheless.
9528531
Season 1 had...problems. Both Trixie and Gilda are presented as having been entirely in the wrong, ignoring obvious problems with behavior from the Mane 6. But Trixie did nothing wrong in Boast Busters aside from exaggerating her magical prowess and being a jerk. Gilda was at least shown to be a bully, but she was also there to see an old friend, and Pinkie kept trying to horn in on it.
9528571
Yeah, looking back at S1 can be painful at times that's for certain, but you bring up a good point, that numerous times throughout the history of the show, the very things that are made out to be lessons for personal betterment can be from a slightly changed pov be seen as the very things they are teaching against. I think it is this very paradoxical thing that makes this show special when compared to a lot of other children's entertainment (although granted it's been a while since I've watched much else besides mlp) but from my recollections a lot of other children's shows aimed at younger audiences tend to be way overly sweet or way overly pretentious. The other thing I love about the show lies in the vastness of the fandom. I used to be a big fan of Angry Birds, and while I enjoyed the games, and I did get a little bit of rapport from Rovio, the overall fandom was pretty limited, there is only so much you can do with the concept, and almost all the fan-content was either the characters in some costume or another or based on the ab theme song. In the FiM fandom, you have stories and content extending through pretty much the entire gamut of human experience and emotion.
Another good story very entertaining I hope you will be continuing Rebuilding again in the near future keep up the good work
9529772
I will. I promise. I pretty much wrote this one in an afternoon to get my creative juices flowing again. Believe it or not, this story is practically a first draft.
9529810
I wouldn't have know you are very skilled your stories and chapters flow so well together keep up the good work
A story with Starlight and Twilight turned into a baby?
You trying to make your own "Daughters of Glimmer"
Nah, but what an open ending, I can see potential for some something heart wrenching stuff if she continues to not have her memories and grows up with them, and the person they 'raised' is just gone when Twilight comes back.
Or some funny stuff with shenanigans of Twilight demanding to be treated normally with her full memories.
9530547
Oh, hardly, if only because this won't traumatize all involved.
Well, as I described above, my concept for it is that Twilight will regain any old memories she had up to her current age as she grows. So, once she hits 6 years old, she'll have regained her memories up to age 6. I wouldn't aim for any gut wrenching sadness, but it would be an opportunity for her to gain experiences that she missed the first time around.
Decent story but I could see a sequel being done with maybe a chapter for each of the 4 weeks
9531176
I can sort of see that. Week 1 would be Twilight's mom arriving and Trixie wondering if she would even be needed anymore. It could end with Celestia ordering Twilight to relax and just enjoy growing up again.
Week 2 could be Twilight hooking up with the CMC and having little kid adventures. Trixie would end up being her sort of cool aunt/foalsitter friend who gives her advice. At the end of this week, she'd be about middle school aged.
Week 3 would see her wanting to go to her own school, where she could hook up with the Young 6 as her group of friends. It could end with a school dance. There would be surprise shipping.
Week 4 would see Trixie dreading when Twilight gets all her memories back and remembers how much she disliked Trixie. There'd be a final resolution between the two. Then, I dunno... End with a dance party or something, since all children's movies seem to end that way these days.
Well done job of giving Trixie a more thought-out background than what the show gives us. I like self-aware and more sensitive Trixie.
Also, so cute to see her take care of Baby Twily
9532301
If you want to make a character seem nicer, just show them being nice to a baby or a small child.
That said, have you ever seen how people behave when they're alone with an infant? They often have these long conversations, playing off every gurgle and burp. Babies make great props for monologues.
Aww, this was really cute (and gross, can't forget that), and a nice rendition of Trixie. Even after all these seasons, authors are still digging deep into her psyche and pulling out all manner of interesting nuggets.
Characters come, characters go, but Trixie still remains!
So this was one of the most adorable things I've read on this site. Do you plan on following this up with Trixie "raising" Twilight over the next four weeks? Because I can only imagine it being as adorable and funny as this story was.
9558010
I'm strongly considering it, but only after I get my other story properly restarted. I imagine that Twilight and Trixie would grow pretty close because of this, and they'd end up seeing each other a lot differently.
9558279
Well one would have to imagine right? Hm. . . I actually don't think I have seen that kind of relationship before and how it would evolve. Usually it's the other way around. Regardless I wish you luck in the story your are restarting and if this little plot bunny of yours pays off for ya.
9558285
The notion I have for continuing the story is that Trixie sees Twilight as this lucky little rich girl who's had everything handed to her in life, while Twilight sees Trixie as this irresponsible egotist. This little interlude would let Trixie see how hard Twilight had to work and how she sacrificed her childhood, while Twilight would see her as a caretaker and confidant as she grows up again.
I'd also definitely involve Twilight's mom, if only because it would be kind of necessary and also for her to give Trixie some perspective on what it was like to raise Twilight. I like the idea of her bonding with Trixie, as well. She'd naturally be grateful to her, since Twilight Velvet would mainly know Trixie as one of the heroes that already saved her daughter and her son's family from the changelings.
Was wondering if infant Twilight will meet up with Flurry Heart. Then again I don't think Cadance can handle TWO alicorn infants at once.
9559224
I don't think there'll be time, since Twilight will likely age out of her infancy in 3 or 4 days. I actually charted out her growth, and she'd be 5 1/2 by day 7. Basically, the way it would work would be:
In story terms it might be:
To be fair, Flurry Heart was easy to handle once Sunburst figured out how to suppress her magic surges. Twilight has the advantage of being calmed by Trixie's presence and rapid maturation.
9559386
it was heartwarming and on the first read, I couldn't stop laughing for the majority of chapter 1. Good job.
9560873
Thanks. I think my favorite image in chapter 1 is Trixie asking if Twilight was hiding a pregnancy by standing behind furniture as she stuffs dish towels in her ears.
9560927
That's where i started laughing.
This is a very good 2-shot.
This story was so many things that are all good.
It rounded out, mostly, the open end of a special.
It showed that Trixie has emotional depth.
It showed that Starlight isn't super OP...
and I felt like Trixie would make a great mother and am just now inspired to write a story about it.
Thanks!
9650881
I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I just like the image of Trixie, Starlight, and Spike having to take care of baby Twilight for a few weeks. She's always the most mature one in the room, so this sort of scenario would shake things up in a really fun way.
Personally, I could see Twilight during her week as an elementary school-aged filly having fun learning to be Trixie's assistant. She'd naturally be good at "real" magic, but would have fun with her "big sister" learning all about showmanship and sleight of hand.
9650881
In my headcanon (Since this mixes with my other story), Trixie is an orphan. Or at least she thinks she's an orphan, and doesn't know about Jack Pot. Anyway, she more than most would appreciate having a parent, and I think she'd treat her child very lovingly.
I swear to God, I never saw this image before today. Apparently, someone got this idea about 5 years ago.
[EDIT] - It was an image of Trixie holding a baby Twilight. The image was apparently taken down from Derpibooru.
This story needs to be continued.